I <3 N Y

I do love New York City! Although I don't know that I'd actually want to live there, it sure is a fun place to visit.

Sunday morning, Wally & Linda dropped me off at MacArther/ Islip Airport. I took a shuttle bus to the train station and just made the 10:13 Long Island Railroad train into Manhattan. It's about an hour and a half train ride. I slept much of the way and listened to music, as well as the people around me. It's so fun to hear people talk in their New York accents. I arrived at Penn Station around quarter to noon. After exploring Penn Station a bit (and discovering that it's connected to Madison Square Garden, I took the 1 Subway to Lincoln Center. I did get a little turned around trying to make my way up to street level, but I eventually found my self in the lobby of the Metropolitan Opera House (the Met to all the locals). I took several pictures of the exterior piazza (not PIZZA - it's Italian for 'plaza'). I wandered around the complex a bit. The opera, ballet, and symphony all perform at Lincoln Center, as well as being the home for the Julliard School.

After exhausting Lincoln Center, I walked down 66th street, over to Central Park West, into Central Park, and found myself at the finish line for the New York City Marathon. I knew it was taking place that day, but I was unaware of the race route. I had to walk up to about 71st Street to get around the race festivities. I admire anyone who can run a marathon. I was exhausted after walking only 5 blocks! Running 26.2 miles would probably kill me. In my defense, I was dragging all my luggage with me (they wouldn't let me check it so far ahead of time). But still, I am VERY out of shape. I wandered around much of Central Park, making my way around all the marathon runners and such. I could have easily spent a whole day there, just relaxing and enjoying the colorful fall foliage, but I was on a tight schedule, so I pressed on.

I exited the park arounnd 71st Street and 5th Avenue, grabbed a hot dog & water from a street vendor for lunch and looked at my map (the only time I did this) to find the nearest R Train station. It was located at 59th and 5th (the SE corner of Central Park), so I walked the 12 blocks to the station, passing the Central Park Zoo along the way. It was a gorgeous day in New York. It was about 70 degrees and the sun was shining! In some ways, I wish it had been a little cooler so I wouldn't have to CARRY my coat (but I'm not complaining).

I took the R Train to 23rd Street to see the Flatiron Building (the triangular shaped building you may have seen in several movies and tv shows). I missed this on my last trip, so I made sure to make a stop this time. I was a little dissapointed when I emerged from the subway. The building was being renovated/restored and there was all kinds of scaffolding covering the "point" of the building. It was still neat to see, though. I went back down to the subway and rode uptown to 34th Street to make a stop at the Empire State Building (another missed stop on my last tour - but that was mostly due to the cloudy weather). Today was a perfect day to go up to the 86th floor observation deck. The sky was clear and I could see for miles. It was a little breezy on top of the tallest building in New York (it regained the status after 9/11). It was quite peaceful on top of the world.

By now, it was almost 4:00 and my time in Manhattan was drawing to a close. I didn't have much time to make my 4:14 train back to Long Island (before my 7:30 flight). Luckily, Penn Station was only a block away along 34th Street (the same block as Macy's Department Store). I did make my train, but it was quite crowded. I wasn't able to get a seat until after a few stops. Atleast I didn't have to stand the ENTIRE 1-1/2 hour trip.

I had no trouble making my flight (in fact it was a little delayed) I had to make a quick stop in Baltimore before continuing on to Orlando International Airport. I arrived back in Florida around midnight, and my Jen was there waiting for me.

I had a great trip, but I was thoroughly beat by the end of it. My whole body ached from all the walking and carrying of my luggage. Even though I only had a small roller bag, I still wouldn't reccomend it. I think I wore the little wheels down to practically nothing and everytime I hit a crack in the sidewalk, it would tip over. Carrying it up and down the subway stairs wasn't a whole lot of fun either (even if it was a good upper body workout).